Ilhan Omar refuses to answer reporter questions on fatal shooting of Israeli Embassy workers
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., avoided answering questions from reporters regarding the shooting in Washington, D.C., that killed two Israeli Embassy staffers departing the Capital Jewish Museum Wednesday evening. “I’m going to go for now,” Omar, the first Somali American elected to Congress, told reporters Thursday when asked if she would react to the shooting. A spokesperson for Omar did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. Later, Omar said she was “appalled” by the shooting and said that violence is not welcome in the U.S. “I am appalled by the deadly shooting at the Capital Jewish Museum last night,” Omar said in a post on X on Thursday. “Holding the victims, their families, and loved ones in my thoughts and prayers. Violence should have no place in our country.” Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim were departing an event at the museum Wednesday evening when they were gunned down and killed. The two were planning to get engaged soon, according to the Embassy of Israel. CLICK HERE FOR FOX NEWS DIGITAL’S COVERAGE OF ‘ANTISEMITISM EXPOSED’ A pro-Palestinian man, identified as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez of Chicago, was arrested in connection with the case, according to authorities. Omar, one of the first two Muslim women in Congress, has been a vocal advocate for the Palestinian cause. She has come under scrutiny for comments toward the Jewish community, including when she appeared at a Columbia University encampment in April 2024 and said that all Jewish kids should remain safe “whether they’re pro-genocide or anti-genocide.” Omar’s daughter, Isra Hirsi, was also arrested during a pro-Palestinian protest at Columbia University that same month. Lischinsky, born in Israel, grew up in Germany. While his father is Jewish, his mother is a Christian, and the family is considered Christian. Milgrim was an American employee working for the Israeli Embassy. WHO IS THE ANTI-ISRAEL SUSPECT IN THE KILLING OF 2 ISRAELI EMBASSY STAFFERS? President Donald Trump and other Republicans have been outspoken and labeled the attack an act of antisemitism. “These horrible D.C. killings, based obviously on antisemitism, must end, NOW!” he wrote on Truth Social post. “Hatred and Radicalism have no place in the USA. Condolences to the families of the victims. So sad that such things as this can happen! God Bless You ALL!” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Additionally, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that those responsible for the attack would face justice. “We condemn in the strongest possible terms the murder of two staff members from the Embassy of Israel in Washington, DC,” Rubio wrote Thursday on X. “Our prayers are with their loved ones. This was a brazen act of cowardly, antisemitic violence. Make no mistake: we will track down those responsible and bring them to justice.” Fox News’ Greg Norman contributed to this report.
Winners, losers and grab-bags from House GOP’s narrow passage of ‘big, beautiful bill’
With the narrow 215-214 passage of House Republicans’ “Big, Beautiful Bill,” (BBB) there were noted winners and losers, and some entities who felt mixed results from the midnight-oil-burning negotiations and vote. The House Freedom Caucus (HFC) within the GOP conference appeared to be a key player in BBB talks, as Chairman Andy Harris of Maryland voted “present” while two other HFC members – Reps. Warren Davidson of Ohio and Thomas Massie of Kentucky voted “nay.” The HFC was initially very concerned about the bill’s spending levels and how quickly – or not – some of the reduction measures would be implemented. Ultimately, the HFC won out in terms of shifting Medicaid Work Requirements in the bill to take effect by 2027 rather than the originally-proposed 2029 deadline. MIKE JOHNSON, DONALD TRUMP GET BIG BEAUTIFUL WIN AS BUDGET BILL PASSES HOUSE On the other GOP flank, moderates and lawmakers from blue states had expressed concern over the State and Local Tax Deduction (SALT) – which helps Democrat-run state residents lessen their tax burden. Originally, SALT was capped at $10,000, but the budget bill raised it to $30,000 for individuals earning up to $400,000. Rep. Michael Lawler, R-N.Y., and other blue-state Republicans clashed with President Donald Trump on the matter – with the president retorting that he knew Lawler’s Rockland County district better than he did. Lawler was seen as a winner in the budget bill’s passage, as his work – along with Long Island Republicans like Rep. Nick LaLota, secured the deduction for their constituents. Another blue state Republican, Rep. Andrew Garbarino of New York, was one of two nonvoting members – the other being Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., according to the official roll. Residents of such high-tax states as New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Maryland and California won out in that respect, ensuring that they would be able to continue to utilize SALT. Outright winners in the bill were Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., — who saw some version of their original effort come to pass. Trump also saw his sweeping middle- and upper-class tax cuts preserved from expiration, which in turn rendered debt-and-deficit hawks proverbial losers. ADAM SCHIFF TELLS EPA’S LEE ZELDIN HE’LL CAUSE CANCER AFTER SHOUTFEST Passage of the bill in the House comes as the national debt currently sits at $36,214,475,432,210.84, according to Fox Business’ National Debt Tracker. The federal deficit will grow by about $2 trillion over 10 years, according to reports, while the tax cuts’ preservation will reduce gross federal revenue. But Medicaid and SNAP work requirements funding cuts are expected to lessen that blow. Other winners included illegal immigration hawks, with the bill allocating billions for the Pentagon and for homeland security, including at the U.S.-Mexico border. Energy interests also won out in the bill’s passage. The American Petroleum Institute applauded the House for taking another step to “restore American energy dominance.” “By preserving competitive tax policies, beginning to reverse the ‘methane fee,’ opening lease sales and advancing important progress on permitting, this historic legislation is a win for our nation’s energy future,” the group said in a statement. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Losers included Democratic leadership, as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., saw his caucus vote as a bloc, but with just shy of the partisan force necessary to block the bill. One particularly upset “loser” in the bill’s passage was House Homeland Security Committee ranking member Bennie Thompson of Mississippi. “You can’t shovel s—t and call it sugar,” Thompson fumed in a Thursday statement. “This horrific bill is one of the most shameful grifts I have ever seen played on the American public,” he added. Abortion providers also lost out via the bill, as it reportedly bans Medicaid disbursements to Planned Parenthood for one year, which could lead to decreased revenue for such organizations. Opponents of SALT, including members of the HFC also essentially lost out, given the fact the deduction remained intact and was somewhat bolstered. The bill’s slashing of green energy tax credits also renders that particular corporate sector – including wind, solar and EV concerns – another potential loser in the BBB.
RFK JR’s highly anticipated MAHA report paints dismal state of child health, national security concerns
President Donald Trump‘s Make America Healthy Again Commission released its anticipated report assessing chronic diseases that have gripped U.S. youths in recent years, pinning blame for a spike in childhood issues to a host of variables stretching from ingesting foods with added chemicals to an increase in prescribing pharmaceuticals to young kids. “After a century of costly and ineffective approaches, the federal government will lead a coordinated transformation of our food, health, and scientific systems,” the report, released Thursday and reviewed by Fox News Digital, outlined. “This strategic realignment will ensure that all Americans—today and in the future—live longer, healthier lives, supported by systems that prioritize prevention, wellbeing, and resilience.” Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. serves as chair of the commission and attended a call with the media earlier Thursday, when he explained that the report is a “diagnosis” of the state of U.S. health, and that the “prescription” for the ongoing issues will be released in 100 days at the end of August in the form of policy recommendations for the federal government. The report’s findings include: teenage depression nearly doubling from 2009 to 2019, more than one-in-five children over the age of six being considered obese, one-in-31 children diagnosed with autism by age 8, and childhood cancer spiking by 40% since 1975. TRUMP’S ‘MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN’ COMMISSION TO TARGET AUTISM, CHRONIC DISEASES “Over 40% of the roughly 73 million children (aged 0-17) in the United States have at least one chronic health condition, according to the CDC, such as asthma, allergies, obesity, autoimmune diseases, or behavioral disorders,” the report stated. “Although estimates vary depending on the conditions included, all studies show an alarming increase over time,” the report stated. Chronic diseases have a chilling effect on national security, commission members said in a Thursday morning phone call with the media. Roughly 75% of America’s youth aged 17–24 do not qualify to serve in the military due to obesity, asthma, allergies, autoimmune diseases or behavioral disorders, they said. “We now have the most obese, depressed, disabled, medicated population in the history of the world, and we cannot keep going down the same road,” Food and Drug Commissioner Marty Makary said on the phone call with the media. “So this is an amazing day. I hope this marks the grand pivot from a system that is entirely reactionary to a system that will now be proactive.” MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN: TIMELINE OF THE MAHA MOVEMENT The report itself pointed to a handful of variables leading to what Kennedy and other Trump administration leaders called a “chronic disease crisis,” including a “food system (that) is safe but could be healthier;” exposure to environmental chemicals such as pesticides outside or microplastics in food consumed; as well as a culture shift that moved kids from playing outside to being glued to their phones or tablets. “American children are highly medicated — and it’s not working,” the report added of another variable compounding the chronic health issues. The report found that prescribing medication to children has skyrocketed in recent history, such as a 250% increase in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder prescriptions between 2006 and 2016 despite scientific evidence that the prescriptions did not “improve outcomes long-term,” as well as a 1,400% increase between 1987 and 2014 for antidepressant prescriptions for kids, and 800% increase in antipsychotic medications for children between 1993 and 2009. “These time trends significantly outpace more moderate increases seen in other developed countries,” the report found. “Psychotropics for ADHD are one example, prescribed 2.5 times more in US than in British children , and 19 times more than in Japanese youth. The crisis of overdiagnosis and overtreatment in children is therefore both empirically evident, and proportionally specific to American youth.” While the report detailed that fluoride, which is a water additive frequently used to protect teeth from decay and cavities, was found to have a “statistically significant association between exposure to fluoride above recommended levels and reduced IQ levels in children.” The EPA, the report said, is in the midst of reviewing fluoride data to potentially enact “revisions to the federal drinking water standard.” By 2022, more than 60% of Americans — more than 70% of those on public water systems — were consuming fluoridated water, the report said. A 2025 systematic review published in JAMA Pediatrics, analyzing 74 high-quality studies, found a statistically significant association between exposure to fluoride above recommended levels and reduced IQ levels in children. EPA is currently conducting a review of additional research that will inform any potential revisions to the federal drinking water standard. FDA’S LATEST MAHA MOVE WOULD WIPE OUT KIDS’ FLUORIDE PRESCRIPTIONS AS HEALTH RISK EVIDENCE MOUNTS Director of the National Institutes of Health Jay Bhattacharya shared on the press call that the report underscores America’s next generation of children are less healthy than their parents and will subsequently live shorter lives if not addressed. “What the report says is that the next generation of children will live shorter lives than their parents,” he said. “For me as a parent, that is absolutely shocking. The implication is that whatever is happening to our kids, the food that they eat, the environmental exposures they face, the medicines that they take to address the fact that they’re sick are not translating over into making them healthier. And in fact, they are less healthy than their parents were at the same age.” The report found, “Despite outspending peer nations by more than double per capita on healthcare, the United States ranks last in life expectancy among high-income countries — and suffers higher rates of obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. Today’s children are the sickest generation in American history in terms of chronic disease and these preventable trends continue to worsen each year, posing a threat to our nation’s health, economy, and military readiness.” The Trump officials stressed on the call that America’s food system is “100% safe,” but that it could be even healthier, such as shifting from “ultraprocessed foods”
House GOP leadership takes victory lap after passing Trump’s ‘one big, beautiful bill’
House Republicans took a victory lap Thursday morning after passing President Donald Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill.” “It’s finally morning in America again,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed 215 to 214. All Democrats and two Republicans, Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, voted against the bill. House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris, R-Md., voted “present.” “Today, the House has passed generational, truly nation-shaping legislation to reduce spending and permanently lower taxes for families and job creators, secure the border, unleash American energy dominance, restore peace through strength and make government work more efficiently and effectively for all Americans,” Johnson added. MIKE JOHNSON, DONALD TRUMP GET ‘BIG, ‘BEAUTIFUL’ WIN AS BUDGET PASSES HOUSE The bill is a victory for Trump and House Republicans, who overcame policy disagreements to deliver on Trump’s key campaign promises, including an extension of his 2017 tax cuts and no tax on tips, overtime and Social Security. TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ PASSES KEY HOUSE HURDLE AFTER GOP REBEL MUTINY “We look forward to the Senate’s timely consideration of this once-in-a-generation legislation. We stand ready to continue our work together to deliver on the one big, beautiful bill, as President Trump named it himself. We’re going to send that to his desk. We’re going to get there by Independence Day, on July 4th, and we are going to celebrate a new golden age in America,” Johnson said. House leaders took turns Thursday thanking Republicans for rallying together to pass the bill. “Democrats made it very clear they didn’t want to have any part in helping get America back on track again, but we were never fettered when this bill could have failed 10 times over. We said we were going to get this done, and failure is not an option. And we meant it,” said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La. Trump celebrated his victory on Thursday in a Truth Social post. “Great job by Speaker Mike Johnson, and the House Leadership, and thank you to every Republican who voted YES on this Historic Bill! Now, it’s time for our friends in the United States Senate to get to work, and send this Bill to my desk AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! There is no time to waste,” Trump wrote. The multi-trillion-dollar bill includes provisions to advance Trump’s “America First” agenda by lowering taxes, securing the border, increasing national defense, reforming Medicaid and slashing Biden-era energy policies. The bill aims to make a dent in the federal government’s spending trajectory by cutting roughly $1.5 trillion in government spending elsewhere. The U.S. government is still more than $36 trillion in debt and has spent $1.05 trillion more than it has collected in the 2025 fiscal year, according to the Treasury Department. “Take this as a lesson. Don’t bet against the House Republicans. We’ve shown, time and time again, that we deliver for the American people, especially when it matters most. By taking hold of this historic opportunity, I truly believe we’ve unlocked the opportunities for generations to come,” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., said. Republicans on Thursday slammed their House Democratic colleagues for delaying the bill’s passage – down to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ 30-minute “magic minute” before House votes. “Democrats voted to put Americans last, and it’s a shame. But thank God for House Republicans, and thank God for our president, Donald J. Trump,” said GOP Conference Chair Lisa McClain, R-Mich. But the “big, beautiful bill” still has a big hurdle ahead. The Senate is tasked with passing its own version of the bill, and Republican leaders are hoping to send the bill to Trump’s desk by the Fourth of July. Senate Republicans have already signaled they expect to make changes to the bill when it reaches the upper chamber, despite House GOP leaders publicly urging them to amend as little as possible. A significant number of senators have voiced concern over the extent of Medicaid and SNAP cuts proposed by the House. Meanwhile, raising the SALT deduction cap could face resistance in the Senate, where no Republicans represent blue states—unlike in the House, where districts in New York and California are key to the GOP majority. And Senate Democrats are already piling on the criticism of Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.” “This is not one big, beautiful bill. It’s ugly. There’s nothing beautiful about stripping away people’s healthcare, forcing kids to go hungry, denying communities the resources they need, and increasing poverty,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement Thursday.
Republicans look to stop China’s ‘backdoor’ tariff dodging scheme
Republicans are targeting China’s efforts to sidestep U.S. tariffs through foreign production, with new legislation introduced Thursday by House Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas. The Axing Nonmarket Tariff Evasion (ANTE) Act aims to stop subsidized and state-owned entities from setting up production in other countries to avoid tariffs. “For far too long, adversaries like China have engaged in unfair trade practices, cheated the American economy, and cost the U.S. millions of jobs,” Arrington said in a statement to Fox News Digital. TRUMP SAYS CHINA AGREES TO ‘FULLY’ OPEN COUNTRY’S MARKETS TO US BUSINESSES On April 2, which the White House dubbed “Liberation Day,” President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs with the intention of ending trade imbalances. Some of the harshest of the tariffs were imposed on China, which was initially hit with a 145% tariff that was later lowered to 30%. While tariffs seem to be discouraging Chinese manufacturers from exporting to the U.S., as evidenced by a recent Commerce Department report showing import levels at their lowest since the COVID-19 pandemic, imports have not stopped entirely. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has found ways to evade the tariffs, such as setting up production in third-party countries or by shipping goods to another country and re-labeling them before sending them to the U.S. By labeling the goods as originating from another country, manufacturers dodge the high tariffs on China and instead get hit with much lower tariffs that are imposed on other nations. This is something that Arrington hopes to stop with his legislation. CHINA ACCUSES US OF ‘TURNING SPACE INTO A WARZONE’ WITH TRUMP’S GOLDEN DOME MISSILE DEFENSE PROJECT “The ANTE Act will stop highly-subsidized, state-owned businesses from using third countries as backdoors to evade President Trump’s tariffs and help ensure a level playing field for American producers and manufacturers,” Arrington told Fox News Digital. Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., who is introducing companion legislation in the Senate, is also confident the bill will stop the CCP from falsifying the origins of imports. “Communist China shouldn’t be able to dodge U.S. tariffs by slapping a ‘Made in Mexico’ label on their products,” Banks said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “My bill closes loopholes and stops the CCP from cheating American workers and manufacturers.” The phenomenon of “place-of-origin washing” is not limited to large businesses. Chinese social media platforms are filled with ads offering services to help sellers avoid tariffs, the Financial Times reported. The outlet also noted that South Korea’s customs agency has seen an uptick in cases involving sellers using their country to avoid U.S. tariffs. Under U.S. law, goods must undergo “substantial transformation” in a country to qualify as originating from there. The transformation must significantly add to the value of the good, according to the International Trade Administration’s (ITA) website. As an example, the ITA writes that if ingredients are taken from several countries and turned into baked goods, the country of origin can be listed as where the items were baked, as this constitutes a “substantial transformation.” However, if produce from multiple countries is frozen and mixed in another nation, then the origin of each ingredient must be listed.
Federal judge blocks Trump admin moves to dismantle Dept of Education
A federal judge blocked President Donald Trump from dismantling the Department of Education on Thursday, ruling that it cannot be done without congressional approval. U.S. District Judge Myong Joun’s order blocks the Trump administration from carrying out the mass-firing at the DOE announced in March and orders that any employees who were already fired be reinstated. Joun’s order noted Trump’s repeated calls to shut down the department while on the campaign trail, and argued the reduction in force was his means of doing so. “The idea that Defendants’ actions are merely a ‘reorganization’ is plainly not true,” Joun wrote. ‘ACTIVIST’ JUDGES KEEP TRYING TO CURB TRUMP’S AGENDA – HERE’S HOW HE COULD PUSH BACK “Defendants do acknowledge, as they must, that the Department cannot be shut down without Congress’s approval, yet they simultaneously claim that their legislative goals (obtaining Congressional approval to shut down the Department) are distinct from their administrative goals (improving efficiency). There is nothing in the record to support these contradictory positions,” his ruling continues. The DOE rejected Joun’s ruling in a statement to Fox News Digital, labeling him a “far-left judge” who “overstepped his authority.” “President Trump and the Senate-confirmed Secretary of Education clearly have the authority to make decisions about agency reorganization efforts, not an unelected Judge with a political axe to grind,” Spokeswoman Madi Biedermann said in a statement. “This ruling is not in the best interest of American students or families. We will immediately challenge this on an emergency basis.” The ruling comes just a day after another federal judge blocked Trump’s administration from firing two Democratic members of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board on Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton found that allowing unilateral firings would prevent the board from carrying out its purpose. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION GUTS INSTITUTE OF PEACE OF ‘ROGUE BUREAUCRATS’ AFTER DOGE STANDOFF IN GOVERNMENT OFFICE Walton wrote that allowing at-will removals would make the board “beholden to the very authority it is supposed to oversee on behalf of Congress and the American people.” The oversight board was initially created by Congress to ensure that federal counterterrorism policies were in line with privacy and civil liberties law. The two plaintiffs, Travis LeBlanc and Edward Felten, argued in their lawsuit that members of the board cannot be fired without cause. Meanwhile, lawyers for Trump’s administration argued that members of other congressionally created boards do have explicit job protections, and it would therefore be wrong for Walton to create such protections where they are absent. “The Constitution gives President Trump the power to remove personnel who exercise his executive authority,” White House spokesman Harrison Fields told the Associated Press. “The Trump Administration looks forward to ultimate victory on the issue.”
New law would stop foreign adversaries from ‘buying up our country’ while Americans can’t afford homes
FIRST ON FOX: Foreign entities are snatching up U.S. real estate, even when Americans cannot buy property in their nations, according to Rep. Pat Harrigan, R-N.C., who told Fox News Digital he is introducing legislation to fix the problem. His bill, the Real Estate Reciprocity Act, would slap a 50% tax on real estate purchases by foreign nationals and entities who have government ties if their governments do not allow Americans to buy property in those countries. It would require all foreign nationals who purchase land to file with the IRS and require the secretary of state to report each year on which foreign countries prohibit U.S. citizens from owning real estate. TEXAS PUSHES BACK AGAINST FOREIGN LAND GRAB WITH ‘STRONGEST BILL IN THE NATION’ AGAINST CHINA, IRAN, RUSSIA “While American families struggle to afford a home, foreign adversaries are buying up our country with cash – farmland, neighborhoods, even land near military bases. These regimes ban Americans from buying land on their soil, but think they can carve up ours,” Harrigan told Fox News Digital in a statement. “My Real Estate Reciprocity Act stops it cold with a 50% tax on every purchase, mandatory disclosure, and protections for the ground we raise our kids on. If Americans can’t buy land in your country, you won’t be able to buy land in ours.” A surprising number of nations have an outright ban or severe restrictions on foreigners purchasing land within their borders. Switzerland, New Zealand, Denmark, the Phillippines, Poland and Vietnam all have stringent rules on the books. In places like China and Saudi Arabia, foreigners cannot purchase land, but they can invest in real estate. Foreign buyers have long been accused of snatching up pricey apartments in metropolitan areas like New York City to park their assets, driving up housing costs. SENATE REPUBLICANS LAUNCH EFFORT TO BAN CHINESE NATIONALS FROM BUYING LAND IN US The bill comes amid a slew of legislation designed to address China’s increasing encroachment on U.S. farmland, particularly near military bases. China owned around 350,000 acres of farmland across 27 states as of last year, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. As of 2022, foreign entities and individuals held 43.4 million acres of U.S. agricultural land, which is nearly 2% of all land in the U.S. As of 2021, Canada was the largest foreign holder of U.S. land. At 12.8 million acres, Canadian land ownership was bigger than the states of New Hampshire and Vermont combined.
Supreme Court upholds Oklahoma decision, in blow to religious charter schools
An evenly divided Supreme Court on Thursday ruled against a religious school that sought public funding from the state of Oklahoma. In a 4-4 vote, the justices upheld the Oklahoma State Supreme Court’s decision that for St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School in Oklahoma City to receive public funds would be unconstitutional. Justice Amy Coney Barrett had recused herself from the case. The court issued a one-sentence ruling upholding the lower court’s decision, saying only: “The judgment is affirmed by an equally divided Court.” Oklahoma has argued that providing state funds for a religious charter school violates the First Amendment. TRUMP FACES ANOTHER DEPORTATION SETBACK WITH 4TH CIRCUIT APPEALS COURT The Oklahoma Statewide Virtual Charter School Board approved St. Isidore’s contract request in June 2023, making them eligible to receive public funds. The school agreed that it would be free and open to all students “as a traditional public school,” and would comply with local, state and federal education laws. But St. Isidore also indicated that the school “fully embraces the teachings” of the Catholic Church and participates “in the evangelizing mission of the church.” Its ability to receive state funding was later blocked by the Oklahoma Supreme Court, which ruled that using the funds for a religious school was in violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond sued to block the approval of the school’s state charter, calling it an “unlawful sponsorship” of a sectarian institution, and “a serious threat to the religious liberty of all four-million Oklahomans.” That argument was appealed to the Supreme Court, which agreed to hear the case in October. In more than two hours of wide-ranging oral arguments last month, justices appeared split along ideological lines over whether to allow St. Isidore to become the first religious charter school in the U.S. The justices focused on two questions during the oral arguments: First was whether charter schools should be treated as public schools, which are considered extensions of the state and therefore subject to the Establishment Cause and its ban establishing or endorsing a religion; or if the school should be considered a private entity or contractor, which was the argument made by St. Isidore. The second question was whether Oklahoma’s actions violated the Free Exercise Clause of the Constitution, by placing what the school argues is an undue burden on its religious mission. 100 DAYS OF INJUNCTIONS, TRIALS AND ‘TEFLON DON’: TRUMP SECOND TERM MEETS ITS BIGGEST TESTS IN COURT The decision comes as the Supreme Court’s conservative majority has, in recent years, ruled in favor of allowing taxpayer funds to be allocated to some religious organizations to provide “non-sectarian services” such as adoption services or food banks. In this case, the justices debated what limits on curriculum supervision and control would be placed on the religious charter school, if its contract with the state was allowed to move forward. Justices Kentanji Brown Jackson, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kegan pressed attorneys for the school on how they would treat students with different religious backgrounds who might opt to attend. There is no indication of how each justice ultimately voted.
Democrats predict passing Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ will cost many Republicans their seats
House Republicans are celebrating the major victory they delivered early Thursday morning for President Donald Trump. Minutes after the GOP majority in the House of Representatives stood nearly entirely united to pass Trump’s sweeping tax and spending cuts package by a razor-thin 215-214, Speaker Mike Johnson touted that “the House has passed generational, truly nation-shaping legislation.” Johnson predicted the measure would, among other things, “reduce spending and permanently lower taxes for families and job creators … and make government work more efficiently and effectively for all Americans.” And Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota said that House Republicans have “shown time and time again that we deliver for the American people, especially when it matters most.” HOW TRUMP’S SWEEPING BILL PASSED THROUGH THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES But with Republicans clinging to a fragile House majority, Democrats view the House passage of what’s called Trump’s “One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act” as political ammunition as they aim to win back control of the chamber in next year’s midterm elections. Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin, in deriding the legislation, pledged that “Democrats will do everything we can to kick those who are responsible for this bill out of office. We have Americans at our side. This vote will cost many, many Republicans their seats in the midterms.” And Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair Rep. Suzan DelBene of Washington State said in a Fox News Digital interview ahead of the final House vote that “we’re going to hold Republicans accountable, and there will be a price to pay.” But the rival National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) disagrees. “House Democrats just signed their own political death warrant. Voters won’t forget how they betrayed working families. And Republicans won’t let them,” NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella argued in a statement. The GOP-crafted measure is stuffed full of Trump’s campaign trail promises and second-term priorities on tax cuts, immigration, defense, energy and the debt limit. It includes extending his signature 2017 tax cuts and eliminating taxes on tips and overtime pay, providing billions for border security and codifying his controversial immigration crackdown. Passage of the bill in the House comes as the national debt currently sits at $36,214,475,432,210.84, according to Fox Business’ National Debt Tracker. The massive package now heads to the Senate, where Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the top Democrat in the chamber, said that “this is not one big, beautiful bill. It’s ugly.” As Democrats attack the measure, they’re highlighting the GOP’s proposed restructuring of Medicaid—the nearly 60-year-old federal program that provides health coverage to roughly 71 million low-income Americans. FIRST ON FOX: THESE REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS SAY THEY ‘STAND UNITED’ IN SUPPORT OF TRUMP’S ‘ONE BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ The changes to Medicaid, as well as cuts to food stamps, another one of the nation’s major safety net programs, were drafted in part as an offset to pay for extending Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, which are set to expire later this year. The measure includes a slew of new rules and regulatory requirements for those seeking Medicaid coverage. Among them are a new set of work requirements for many of those seeking coverage. “Let’s be clear, all Republicans are talking about right now is how many people and how fast they’re going to take away healthcare. They have these huge cuts to Medicaid, 14 million people lose healthcare across the country, and they’re talking about how fast they can do that,” said DelBene. Schumer argued that “there’s nothing beautiful about stripping away people’s healthcare, forcing kids to go hungry, denying communities the resources they need, and increasing poverty.” And Martin claimed that “the GOP budget will decimate local communities, blow an economic hole in rural America, and make us into a nation governed by and for a handful of elites.” House Republicans push back against the Democrats’ attacks and say what they are doing is putting an end to waste, fraud and abuse currently in the Medicaid system, so the program can work for the public in the way that it was intended. They call any talk that they are cutting aid to mothers, children, people with disabilities and the elderly a “flat out lie.” And NRCC chair Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina told Fox News Digital in a statement ahead of the vote that “Republicans are ending waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicaid so the most vulnerable get the care they need.” “Democrats are lying to protect a broken status quo that lets illegal immigrants siphon off billions meant for American families. We’re strengthening Medicaid for future generations by protecting taxpayers and restoring integrity,” Hudson added. Dating back to last year’s presidential campaign, Trump has vowed not to touch Medicaid. On Tuesday, as he made a rare stop on Capitol Hill to meet behind closed doors with House Republicans in order to shore up support for the bill, Trump’s message to fiscally conservative lawmakers looking to make further cuts to Medicaid was “Don’t f— around with Medicaid.” While there are divisions between Republicans over Medicaid, and a chasm between the two major parties over the longstanding entitlement program, there is one point of agreement: This issue will continue to simmer on the campaign trail in one form or another long after the legislative battles on Capitol Hill are over.
Bipartisan Senate bill targets border human, drug trafficking with innovative technology
FIRST ON FOX: Democrat Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto and Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy are reaching across the aisle to roll out a measure that would quickly deliver new and effective technologies to strengthen law enforcement’s ability to combat human and drug trafficking at the border, Fox News Digital has learned. Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Cassidy, R-La., are working together to introduce the “Emerging Innovative Border Technologies Act,” which would make innovation teams at U.S. Customs and Border Protection permanent. Innovation teams were first created at the agency in 2018. DEMOCRATIC SENATOR UNVEILS NEW PLAN TO TACKLE BORDER SECURITY The bill would authorize the Customs and Border Protection commissioner to maintain one or more innovation teams to research and adapt commercial technologies to assist in border security operations and urgent mission needs. It also would require the Department of Homeland Security to submit a plan to Congress that assesses the performance parameters and security impacts of potential technologies, as well as the deactivation of former Customs and Border Protection technology. “Technology continues to improve our everyday lives, and it’s just common sense that we look for ways innovative technologies can help keep our border communities secure,” Cortez Maso told Fox News Digital. “I am committed to helping CBP continue developing the tools they need to improve border security operations.” “President Trump secured the southern border in his first 30 days,” Cassidy told Fox News Digital. “Let’s secure the border forever by using new technology.” He added: “Let’s stop fentanyl from flowing into our country.” DEM’S IMMIGRATION REFORM PLAN ADDS BORDER PATROL AGENTS, OFFERS SELECT MIGRANTS PATHWAY TO CITIZENSHIP The senators told Fox News Digital that investments in border security technology will “strengthen CBP’s detection and response time to cases of trafficking and illicit border crossings in remote areas.” The legislation would make innovation teams a more permanent and long-lasting part of Customs and Border operations. A Cortez Masto aide told Fox News Digital that the senator has been working to crack down on cross-border crime since she was attorney general in Nevada. The aide highlighted Cortez Masto’s work with Republicans in the state, along with Mexican officials, to combat the rise of methamphetamine manufacturing and cross-border drug trafficking. In the Senate, she has authored legislation to combat drug trafficking online, which was signed into law; and passed legislation to eliminate illegal fentanyl supply chains. Cortez Masto has also introduced a bill that would crack down on the deadly fentanyl additive xylazine. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Meanwhile, a similar version of the “Emerging Innovative Border Technologies Act” was introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Lou Correa, D-Calif., and Rep. Morgan Luttrell, R-Texas. Apprehensions at the U.S.-Mexico border have plummeted 93% under President Donald Trump’s administration, according to new data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection released Monday. Customs and Border Protection says it averaged 279 apprehensions per day at the southern border in April, compared to 4,297 apprehensions in April 2024. The total apprehensions for April landed at 8,383, compared to April 2024’s 129,000. Customs and Border Protection officials also noted that just five illegal aliens were temporarily released into the U.S. during April, compared to 68,000 during the same month in 2024. Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom and Bill Melugin contributed to this report.